Manny Ruiz went from reporting the news to shaping how we receive it. The 43-year-old former journalist is now a first-rate media entrepreneur.

And where others are busy building their own brands, Ruiz is thinking bigger. He wants to build the brand of the Hispanic community and teach others how to go into business for themselves. He has a soft spot for Hispanic journalists eager to reinvent themselves because they fear traditional media companies may not be long for this world.

In just the past few years, the former crime reporter for The Miami Herald has become one of the leaders of the exciting trend of Hispanic digital marketing. One of his biggest accomplishments is called Hispanicize, a live and spicier version of a “Google hangout” that occurs every April in Miami. The gathering connects hundreds of like-minded people with high aspirations who want to take their creative pursuits and media ventures to the next level. It also helps dozens of companies reach Hispanic consumers, especially the young ones, where many of them live now — in the digital world.

If you’re a Hispanic under 40 years old, and have a job in media, public relations or marketing, chances are you’ve heard about Hispanicize. If you haven’t, and you’re anywhere near South Florida this spring, just follow the sirens because the darned thing is on fire. Ruiz and Lance Rios of Being Latino cofounded the event in 2010. At the inaugural session, held in Dallas, Ruiz estimated that there were about 250 attendees and just four paid sponsors. This year, he said, there were more than 1,250 attendees and 50 paid sponsors. Some of the blue chip companies now allied with the event include Target, Ford Motor Co., McDonald’s, Verizon, Toyota, Univision and Procter & Gamble.

It’s a testament to the power of this group of consumers, now and going forward.

Right on the money. As major corporations slug it out to get that market share, this is the population that will determine the outcome.

Old-school marketers will tell you that this is not new. Many companies ﻿have long since discovered Hispanic consumers, and they’ve been eager to do business for the past couple of decades.

In fact, the amazing part is that there are still companies that approach the Hispanic market with a combination of ignorance, fear or hostility. The people in charge might be in denial about the strength of the Hispanic market — where spending is expected to hit $1.3 trillion this year. Or they mistakenly assume that Hispanics can’t afford or be interested in their products. Or they’re paralyzed because they don’t know where to start or how to approach Hispanic consumers in a way that doesn’t appear insulting — as if ignoring Hispanics wasn’t the biggest insult of all.

Still, for smarter companies, the new dynamic — that Ruiz and Rios zeroed in on — is doing business with Hispanics on smartphones, laptops and tablets.

Forbes last year proclaimed the Hispanic market as “media’s biggest prize,” and Hispanics’ interest in social media is particularly intense. Whether the site is Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Foursquare, Instagram or some other social-media campground, Hispanics can be found there in large numbers doing what they love to do — socializing with family, friends, colleagues, neighbors and complete strangers. With our family strewn across borders, and our social network scattered all over the globe, that’s how we keep it together.

This is one reason social media is such a major component of Hispanicize. Ruiz is a true believer in the idea that you can change the way the world communicates.

“Social media radically altered how people interact with everything,” he said. “Not only with each other but also government, businesses, institutions.”

The most successful companies, Ruiz said, will use “multiple touch points” to reach Hispanic consumers. You heard the man. The nation’s largest minority is on the move. So, from now on, if you want to sell us something or tell us something, you’re going to have to keep up.